Which Aztec god was the patron of merchants and travelers?

Which Aztec god was the patron of merchants and travelers? Yacatecuhtli was the Aztec patron of merchants and travelers, especially people traveling for business.

Yacatecuhtli was closely associated with the pochteca, the professional merchant groups who carried luxury goods across long-distance trade routes. These merchants could also serve as scouts, diplomats, and informants for the Mexica state, making safe travel and commercial success matters of religious concern.

His emblem was a bundle of walking sticks. Merchants reportedly tied their staffs together at night, sprinkled the bundle with blood drawn from their ears, and prayed for protection from robbers, wild animals, and other dangers. The bundle represented both travel and the merchant community.

The name Yacatecuhtli is usually translated as “Lord of the Nose,” from Nahuatl words for “nose” and “lord.” It could also suggest a leader or vanguard—the part that goes ahead. He is sometimes confused with road deities such as Zacatzontli and Tlacotzontli, but Yacatecuhtli’s defining sphere was commerce and merchant travel.